From the Seven Seas to Curated Treasures: The ESCAPE Journey

The jewelry industry has always been about more than just beautiful objects—it's about the stories they tell, the cultures they represent, and the connections they create. My journey into this world began in an unexpected place: aboard luxury cruise ships, where I spent years immersed in the fast-paced world of cruise retail.

The Cruise Retail Years

Working in cruise retail was an education unlike any other. Every port brought new opportunities, new customers, and new challenges. The cruise jewelry market operates at a unique intersection of luxury, impulse, and experience—passengers are on vacation, in a buying mindset, and looking for pieces that will remind them of their journey.

I learned to read customers quickly, to understand what they were really looking for beyond the piece itself. Was it a celebration? An anniversary? A memento of adventure? Each sale was a story, and I became fluent in the language of desire, value, and meaning that drives jewelry purchases.

But after more than a decade in this world, I began to notice something. The same brands, the same stones, the same stories—repeated across ships, across ports, across years. There was a formula to cruise retail, and while it worked, it left little room for the unexpected, the artisanal, the truly unique.

A Personal Journey: Rediscovering Jade

Growing up, I saw the women in my life wearing jade. It was simply there—beautiful, familiar, part of my Guatemalan heritage. I didn't think much of it at the time; it was just what the women in my family wore.

It wasn't until I was firmly in the jewelry industry for over a decade that I realized jade didn't have a presence in the cruise retail markets where I worked. That absence struck me, and I started digging, learning, asking questions. This is how I came to fall in love with a stone that my family wore, but I didn't truly understand.

Now I'm aware that working with jade means I am honoring millennia of Mesoamerican history that runs in my veins. Every piece I curate carries that weight, that legacy, that connection to something far greater than commerce.

The Birth of ESCAPE

ESCAPE was born from a simple realization: the jewelry and lifestyle pieces that moved me most were the ones I never saw in traditional retail environments. The artisan-crafted. The culturally significant. The pieces with provenance and purpose.

I wanted to create a space where curation mattered more than volume, where each piece was chosen not because it fit a formula, but because it told a story worth sharing. A place where premium gemstones like jade, opal, and pearls could shine alongside artisan home decor and gourmet treats—all united by a commitment to quality, authenticity, and meaning.

The ESCAPE Philosophy

At ESCAPE, we believe in the power of the curated experience. Every product is selected with intention, every brand partnership is built on shared values, and every customer interaction is an opportunity to share knowledge and create connection.

We work with vendors who share our commitment to craftsmanship and authenticity. We seek out pieces that honor cultural traditions while speaking to contemporary sensibilities. And we build our brand through storytelling—because the best luxury isn't just about what you own, it's about what it means.

Looking Forward

The journey from cruise retail to ESCAPE has taught me that the most meaningful businesses are built on personal truth. For me, that truth is about honoring heritage, celebrating craftsmanship, and creating spaces where beauty and meaning coexist.

Whether it's a piece of jade that connects to ancient Mesoamerican traditions, an opal that captures the play of light and color, or artisan textiles that bring spa-luxury into everyday life—every item at ESCAPE is chosen because it matters.

This is more than a store. It's a curated escape into a world where every object has a story, and every story deserves to be told.